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David Taylor Reid
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Blacksmith.
Born on a large estate at Aldie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland on 5 January 1882, where his father worked as a gardener, the oldest of nine children of David Bell Reid and Ann Taylor, the family moved to northern England when he was a school boy. He apprenticed as a blacksmith in Hackness, Yorkshire for seven years, beginning at the age of 12.
He came to Canada in 1904 and worked as a blacksmith at Souris and Middlechurch before moving to Birds Hill in 1909 to establish his own blacksmithing business at the corner of Roseneath and Bird's Hill Road. He enlarged it in 1912 and operated the business until his death. Known as “The Chief” by his sons because he was the chief blacksmith, it was a gathering place for the men of the village. He was highly respected for his workmanship, honesty, and fair dealings. He served as President of the Blacksmith and Horseshoe Association. As cars replaced horses, he turned to repairing pumps and farm machinery and his sons did automobile repairs.
On 10 September 1906, he married Ethel May Tranter (c1890-1975) at Souris and they had a daughter and four sons: William David Reid (1907-1985), James Norman Reid (1910-1978), James Cornelius Tait Reid (1911-1994), Amy Elizabeth May Reid (1913-1982), and Thomas Francis Reid (1916-1966). He purchased a half acre of land at 2021 Burton Avenue and built a small house. It was enlarged in 1918 to a two-storey, four-bedroom structure. He enjoyed working in his meticulous yard and garden in the evenings. He was active in the community, maintaining the local skating rink, and was a founding member of St. Catherine’s Anglican Church. He made the long metal braces that support the walls, and the scraper for boots at the entrance to Birds Hill School.
He died at the Grace Hospital on 21 March 1961 and was buried in the St. Paul’s Anglican Cemetery. In 1986, his former workshop was moved to a museum through the efforts of his son William David Reid and his grandson Alfred David Reid.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Cooks Creek Heritage Museum (Cooks Creek, RM of Springfield)
Personal Memoirs: The Silent Smithy by Dave Reid
Birth registration [William David Reid, James Norman Reid, Amy Elizabeth May Reid, Thomas Frances Reid], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“Reid - Trauter,” Manitoba Free Press, 18 September 1906, page 18.
1921 Canada census, Ancestry.
Obituary, Winnipeg Tribune, 23 March 1961, page 78.
Obituary [Ethel Reid], Winnipeg Free Press, 23 August 1975, page 44.
Obituary [William David Reid], Winnipeg Free Press, 23 May 1985, page 45.
“Cooks Creek Heritage Museum celebrates 50 years,” Beausejour Clipper, 6 September 2018, page 15.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
This page was prepared by Sharon Rogalsky and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 3 October 2023
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